Vancouver Writers Fest Q&A: Wayne Grady

Vancouver Sun10.22.2013

You rarely see “debut” and “Governor General’s Award-winner” in the same sentence. But 65-year-old Wayne Grady, whose first novel Emancipation Day came out in August after 14 non-fiction works and myriad translations to his name, is just that.Bernard Clark
/ THE CANADIAN PRESS

A: It takes place in St. John’s, Nfld., and Windsor, Ont., during and shortly after the Second World War. Jack Lewis, a light-skinned African Canadian from Windsor, is stationed in St. John’s during the war, with the Navy. He meets and marries Vivian Fanshawe and, when the war ends, brings her back to Windsor to meet the family. When they get there, Vivian realizes that Jack has somehow failed to mention to her that he is African Canadian.

Q: Why did you write this book?

A: The novel is inspired by the experiences of my parents: 15 years ago, I discovered that my father was black and had passed for white when he was 18, and never told anyone, including my mother or myself. I began writing this as non-fiction, but the story gradually expanded beyond memoir into a novel.

Q: Is there another book you’ve read recently that you’ve enjoyed?

A: J.B. MacKinnon, The Once and Future World.

Q: What should readers expect from your appearance at the Vancouver Writers Fest?

A: I hope there will be some interesting discussions, onstage and off, about families and the secrets that both unite and divide them. And the whole question of race and self-identity, and the relationship between the two, is also a fascinating one for me, one that I grapple with in the novel but about which there is so much more to be said.

Q: Is there any particular thing that you’re looking forward to doing while in Vancouver?

A: Meeting up with old friends. My wife, Merilyn Simonds, and I have been to many VWFs over the years, and we always enjoy it. This year I’m particularly happy to be doing the Literary Cabaret. And I love Granville Island. It has everything: great restaurants, a farmers’ market, a bookstore, a paper store, and a fabulous wine store. Oh yes, and a great literary festival.

Wayne Grady was on this year’s Giller Prize longlist for his novel Emancipation Day. At the same time, he was on the longlist for his translation of Louis Hamelin’s novel October 1970. Wayne Grady is appearing in The Interviews — Friday, Oct. 25, at 10 a.m. in Performance Works, in Found in Translation — Friday, Oct. 25, at 1 p.m. in Studio 1398, and in The Literary Cabaret — Friday, Oct. 25, at 8 p.m. in Performance Works. Vancouver Sun

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Vancouver Writers Fest Q&A: Wayne Grady

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